Amid Silence, an experimental platform for Listening and Performing the Ecosystemic Transformations of our landscapes

Overview of thesis

The project explores new forms of representation and public engagement of ecological data through the performing arts, with the aim of raising public awareness of the effects of Human-induced transformations on ecosystems. By relying on real-time capture of environmental data ( including acoustic, atmospheric, and biological signals ), local narratives and social transformations, it seeks to create an immersive “performance lab” where science, theatre, and audiences meet. The goal is to transform field-generated data streams into embodied, shared experiences.
This approach aims to develop a prototype that can be adapted to other threatened environments at various scales, while contributing scientifically, artistically, and socially to contemporary environmental awareness. It critically investigates how technology, pervasive presence, and ecological engagement operate through live art.
The central question of this research is:

How can a performance space be designed as a tool for research, co-presence, and public engagement with ecological transformations, by integrating environmental sensors, local narratives, and Contemporary Theatre practices to reveal the effects of human impact on ecosystems?

This project is distinguished by its collaborative and interdisciplinary dimension bringing together numerous scientific, cultural and territorial partners, and by its constant commitment to scientific mediation actions at each stage of its implementation.

PhD Supervisor:

Jérôme SUEUR UMR 7204 - Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation dans la spécialité : Sciences de l’environnement (CESCO) ; ED : Sciences de la nature et de l’Homme : évolution et écologie (ED 227) ; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (mnhn).

Co-supervisors:

Roland CAHEN, (30%) Centre de Recherche en Design – ENSCI/ENS Paris-Saclay
Joanne CLAVEL (30%) CNRS, LADYSS Université Paris Cité, En délégation à l’UMR 5175, CEFE de Montpellier

Funding :
Competition - Sorbonne University Alliance SOUND Project - For a new commitment - France 2030 - Excellences - 2025-2028 Campaign
Employers: Sorbonne Univserit

Date of registration for thesis : october 2025.
Date of viva voce : September / october 2028

Biographical note

Daniel CADOT - WRIGHTSON is registered at Sorbonne University SIS (Sciences, Engineering, Health) with a view to completing his doctorate: in the doctoral school: Sciences of nature and man: evolution and ecology (ED 227) within the Research Unit: UMR 7204 - Center for Ecology and Conservation Sciences in the specialty: Environmental Sciences.